Spike Video Game Awards Re-Branded as VGX 2013; Nominees Announced

Published 1 year ago
by
Anthony Taormina
, Updated November 19th, 2013 at 4:07 am,

For this year’s version of their annual video game awards, Spike TV is trying something a little different. Rather than broadcast the show live on an actual cable channel, the awards show will be streamed through a bevy of online outlets, from GameTrailers.com to MTV2.com.

In keeping with that change, Spike has rebranded their awards show as VGX 2013, and promised that the show won’t just be about awards and trailers, but will feature behind-the-scenes interviews with developers and some other early access content. The awards are still the main focal point, but the show is getting bigger and broader at the same time.

No host has been announced, but we know VGX 2013 will broadcast live on December 7, 2013 at 6PM EST. The full list of available venues from which to view the 3-hour show are as follows: Xbox One, Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 (PS3â„¢), Twitch, iOS and Android devices, and available globally on VGXLIVE.com, Hulu, Yahoo Screen, the Yahoo Screen app and Viacom properties Spike.com, ComedyCentral.com MTV.com, MTV2.com, BET.com and GameTrailers.com. And for those that miss the live broadcast, Spike TV will air a “VGX Replay” featuring the show’s biggest highlights on December 9th at midnight.

As far as the VGX 2013 nominees go, Spike just unveiled that list earlier today, and many of the most high profile, and critically praised, titles of the year are well represented. Games like BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us, and Grand Theft Auto 5 are leading the pack with several nominations in various categories, while much smaller games, like The Fullbright Company’s Gone Home, are also receiving some recognition.

What’s most strange about the nominees, as has been the case in past years, is the delineation as to what game gets nominated in the specific console categories. In some cases, like Battlefield 4‘s nomination under “Best PC Game”, the choice makes sense, but, for example, highlighting BioShock Infinite under the Xbox and not any of the other consoles is confusing.

Similarly confusing is the snub of voice actor Michael Mando who did a phenomenal job as Vaas in Far Cry 3. Yes, Far Cry 3 was a 2012 release, but the game didn’t hit in time for the VGA 2012 window, and presumably it was overlooked when considering this year’s nominations. That isn’t to say Troy Baker, who nabbed a nom for his portrayals of Joel in The Last of Us and Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, doesn’t deserve a nomination, but Mando, in this writer’s opinion, should also be included in that category.

The show’s winners will be announced on December 7th after the VGX panel has cast their votes, but gamers can determine the winner of Most Anticipated Game (2014) by voting online right now. To be fair, we don’t know much about the 2014 slate — although that could change after the VGX show — but Spike’s choices all rank pretty high as far as next year’s must-have games go.

Which 2014 release are you most looking forward to? What do you think of the VGX 2013 nominees? Any surprises or snubs? Which game is your Game of the Year?